urban matters

UN MEGA POST IT PUBBLICO PER LA CITTÀ DI TERNI

INTRODUCTION
Mega Post-It Público (Public Mega Post-It) is a group of urban actions directed by Ecosistema Urbano [1] for FESTARCH [2] (International Architectural Event commissioned by Stefano Boeri). Urban Actions are focused on experimenting Terni’s urban complexity through citizen interactions. Creative and participative solutions are created to answer several situations derived from urban contemporary reality. As a first step we analyzed the social status of the city and then have taken steps to urban foster small acupunctures capable of generating social change over time.

URBAN STRATEGIC ACTION:
Nowadays, lack of adequate social policies to enhance community integration is one of the main problems in Italy. Telecommunications quite often promote individualism and mistrust. Dehumanized public spaces characterize contemporary cities. Predominant urbanistic policies create controllable, uncomfortable spaces that make it even worse. Urban action was designed to address this problem, impulsing small social integration mechanisms.

URBAN ACTION STRATEGIC LOCATION:
Repubblica square was chosen as the urban action strategic location. It’s one of the bigger city squares, void of any street furniture…a harsh asphalted square, quite inhabitable in hot spring days. Repubblica square was chosen because of two specially interesting social structures:
-Public library, a very active place with an implicit order -Ephemeral structure, installed because of Festarch. This structure, called the “Yellow ring” by some people, was quite attractive because of it’s intense color. Even thought it was projected to promote citizen participation during Festarch’s architect meetings, it couldn’t be used because of high temperatures.

URBAN ACTION:
To enable that structure for public usage, we installed a new cover using ropes and white cloth. Attention was focused in the process rather than in the final product. Pedestrians cooperated to turn the “Yellow ring” into a “Mega public post it”. During the whole process, citizens were invited to write suggestions about how to improve city public spaces. The final result: boys, girls, teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, Italians and non-Italians spent one whole day sharing their hopes and dreams. Action culminated with a social meal, based on fruit, water and tea.

CONCLUSIONS:
High citizen participation has shown that people would like to break the individualism bubble. This bubble is maintained in part by elitist dehumanizing architecture suffered by cities and their inhabitants. This urban action goal has been creating small conflicts to attract professionals’ attention towards citizen concerns and also to raise boys, girls, teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, Italians and non-Italians attention towards urban themes that impact their day-to-day lifes. Considering press articles about this action in local press, this urban acupuncture hit into the city neuralgic sick point.

UN MEGA POST IT PUBBLICO PER LA CITTÀ DI TERNI was part of a group of urban actions directed by Ecosistema Urbano architectural office for the FESTARCH (International Architectural Event commissioned by Stefano Boeri).

REFERENCES:
[1] Ecosistema Urbano’s website. http://ecosistemaurbano.com
Visited November 24th 2011
[2] Festarch website. http://www.abitare.it/festarch/
Visited November 24th 2011

more Information here:
http://crearchitetturattivamente.blogspot.com.es/2011/06/un-mega-post-it-publico-para-la-ciudad.html

Martina Minnucci

Martina Minnucci is an architect specialized in cooperation for development of human settlements. Urban activist and designer. She believes in architecture and design as instruments to improve social relationships … co-creating our environements … we co-create our world! Creative designer for creative minds / Urban hacker for more human public spaces!

more Information about Martina Minnucci and her projects:
www.martinaminnucci.com
http://www.slideshare.net/martyminn/martina-minnucci-pechakucha-pdf